Pathways: Life Planning

LIFE PLANNING AND GOAL SETTING
These are the steps to life planning and goal setting:
• Meet with them and introduce the idea (theory) of this to them
• Give them some time to think about it (at least a couple of days)
• Meet with them again (start a file or a binder)
• Start writing down ideas
• Make two list
• One life goals (big picture – long term goals - you can use items from the tough subjects list)(listen to the person, do not say no)(you will tweak them later)
• One for immediate goals (desires to do something – behaviors – character changes – etc.)
• Pick out a couple of goals from each list (you will be doing more of them)
• Try hard to make this fun
• Talk about whether they are realistic
• Keep in mind developmental growth spurts
• Especially with long term goals
• Explore with them whether they are realistic
• See if you can tweak the goals
• Try to make this fun
• when they have reached their saturation point stop and do it again later
• You can always put items on a list to be talked about later
• Do not be pressured into answering questions that you are not comfortable with (see 1 below)
• Make sure that you put it on a list to talk about later
• Seek wisdom from others before you answer
• Start making to-do list from their goals
• Try to keep this simple
• Steps involved to reach their goal
• Include: Developmental changes - Skills needed – Behaviors - Changes that they need to make - Educational requirements - Attitude - Finances - Their strong points
• Meet with them on a regular basis
• Check their progress on their to-do list
• This can become a time that you find out what they are thinking
• It can be a special time for the two of you, a time when you work on behaviors, a time when the two of you tweak their goals or their to-do list, a time when you teach them to communicate, be a time when you teach them perseverance, be extremely frustration, and unfortunately reason does not always prevail. Be sensitive to them and yourself tell them you will meet again, give both of you some time to think about certain subjects, seek help from others for ideas. Calm down – this can be frustrating for both of you
• When they are doing things which go against their goals list remind them of their goals
• Be patient with both them and yourself, this is a long term process
• Sometimes it is helpful to only work on two immediate goals at a time(see 2 below)

List of things you need to talk about their:
• Unsociably acceptable behaviors - Strong points - Weak points - Where they are going to live - Money management - Life skills – Job – Education – Driving – Relationships – Vulnerability - Types of friends – Sexuality – Marriage - Children
You need to talk about
• Communications – Recreation – Jail - Whether or not they’re going to do alcohol and street drugs
Talk about whether they possibly will need a guardianship or conservatory

LIFE SKILLS
Life skills - teach them normal daily life skills. Life skills such as cooking, hygiene, money management, communicating, being nice. Then you add to that list their personal one from life planning which comes from dealing with the tough subjects. Remember to give them hope.